Workmans cottages should have a blanket protection in the City of Toronto as very few remain. Developers have taken advantage of too many loopholes provided by the city to destroy these historic homes. This would be a similar blanket protection that Montreal imposed for their "Shoebox homes" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/shoebox-bylaw-referendum-1.5076513 . The essence of the workman's cottage was to provide affordable housing, with land, to the lower working class which is still relevant and needed today, allowing three stories to be built from a one-story defeats the whole purpose of what these homes represented over a century ago, and is a strong historic icon that needs to be protect.

Many people including public health experts, healthcare workers on the front line, workers who have worked non-stop throughout this entire pandemic, labour organizations, and more have been calling on paid sick leave since the start of the pandemic (and before), but it is not yet widely spread that a bill was put forward to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in early December 2020 to legislate paid sick leave. This bill, Bill 239, was put forward by MPP Peggy Sattler, and went through a first reading on December 8, 2020. The bill needs attention to ensure Ontario mandates paid sick leave for all workers. We cannot miss this opportunity to ensure this passes. The bill has to go through more readings by other Ontario MPPs, committee members, and be discussed before being moved forward into legislation (or failing). The public can provide further input in this process, like how the bill should be altered in any way to make it more protective of any person in Ontario providing any sort of labour to an employer in Ontario, including undocumented and temporary workers. You can email or call your local MPP and provide them with any important changes they should discuss in the process, and urge them to ensure that paid sick leave is passed into legislation. Paid sick leave should be mandatory, and in 2018 Premier Doug Ford removed the few protections that existed. This moment is of course especially urgent given the ongoing and escalating COVID-19 situation as we go into the end of the year and a provincial "lockdown". Numerous outbreaks are taking place at workplaces such as warehouses, and many of them are not included in the lockdown. Many nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers are continually exposed to COVID-19, and are working between hospitals and Long-Term Care homes, are under-staffed and over-worked, and need to be ensured that they will have paid sick leave for their own protection, patients' protection, their loved ones, and for everyone else. This also applies for people working in grocery stores, pharmacies, schools, and all other labour and services that have just been symbolically applauded but absolutely not sufficiently compensated or protected. These government failures are allowing for growing hazardous working environments, and the failure to reinstate mandatory sick days already negates the purpose of a coherent public health response. People need to be able to stay home for their health, the health of others, and should not have to choose between income and health. The Ontario Financial Accountability Officer also confirmed this month that the Ontario government has $12 billion in contingency funds for COVID-19 spending. Paid sick leave is completely feasible by large employers, and can be supported by the government for small businesses. Paid sick leave is one of many steps that are necessary to respond to this pandemic, alongside an eviction ban, emergency income support, hospital surge funding, expanded testing and vaccination capacity, and more. https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-239 https://www.peggysattler.ca/paidsickdays

Dear Minister Lecce and Premier Ford, we demand the immediate vaccination of all Ontario educators against the Coronavirus to safely continue their frontline work in schools, particularly in the province's hotspot regions. Over 160 thousand public teachers in Ontario need to be recognized as "essential, frontline workers," who face the daily risk of exposure to a life-threatening virus in their workplace. UNESCO, the United Nations agency for education, called on governments to give teachers priority access to COVID-19 vaccines. Currently, there are over 13,000 Covid-19 cases reported in Ontario schools. That's over 25 % of schools, not including asymptomatic students uncounted for because of insufficient testing. The political narrative that continues to claim that "children are incapable of spreading the virus," is now old science. In fact, it is probable that the majority of Covid cases in schools are potentially spreading between asymptomatic student carriers to their homes. Studies from Canada and around the world have shown that schools are significant vectors for the transmission of COVID-19, particularly with the more contagious and deadly variants that are now the predominant infections. A study conducted by Dr. Simona Bignami of the Université de Montréal and Dr. John F. Sandberg of George Washington University, found that it was Montreal children who infected their parents last fall, not the other way around, transforming Canada’s second largest city into a COVID-19 epicentre. Educators are well-aware that safety measures such as "cohorting," mask enforcement and social distancing look good on paper, but despite educators best efforts, these essential measures are impossible to systematically apply and enforce consistently with children. They are all the more ineffective in schools that are overcrowded and poorly ventilated. According to government data, more than 30,000 Ontario students and school staff have been infected with COVID-19. The frightening truth is this: asymptomatic outbreaks are probable throughout schools, particularly those in hotspot regions. Without adequate asymptomatic testing, the government can continue the narrative that schools are safe, that children's mental health is more important than their physical safety - and ultimately justify the political agenda to keep the economy open. Indeed, our economy is important, but how can the economic agenda take precedence over protecting lives? Teachers and students are expected to return to school during the current provinces lazy-lockdown, to bravely "step up," and face the increasing risk of contracting the new and more deadly Covid variants. The government has repeatedly defended the safety of our schools remaining open, using rhetoric that downplays increasing virus case-counts inside schools as simply a reflection of the increased numbers in the community. Wouldn't that indicate schools are also unsafe? There's this rationalized myth that schools are magically exempt from the spread and dangers of this virus, because "children can't spread the virus," that, hand sanitizer and safety screening will make up for overcrowded and poorly ventilated classrooms, that the exponential spread of more contagious and deadly variants, and our overwhelmed hospital ICU's that are at a breaking point, are factors scary enough to lockdown the entire province for another month - but schools are somehow safe? The fact is, schools are not safe! I ask you Minister Lecce and Premier Ford, how can you honestly and ethically justify sending teachers and students back into a clearly unsafe environment without the existing protection of vaccines? Is it not your responsibility to ensure the safety of your citizens, their families and ultimately our children? Our healthcare heroes, our vulnerable seniors, and those who are medically at risk, clearly take vaccination precedence - but our teachers also need to be prioritized in the line-up for vaccinations. They actually need you to "step up, Premier Ford," and do your part - either vaccinate educators - or move all schools to virtual learning! Sincerely, Lisa Porter and the included signatories

As a self-employed business owner, I was out of work due to the lockdown for Covid-19 and I followed the rules for applying for CERB in order to not only survive, but to keep my business afloat because my landlord didn’t bother with the rent subsidy. I realize that there were many who may have accidentally applied, but we self-employed had no other option and now are being told we were not eligible all because the word “net” was inferred and not actually stated on the website or the automated recordings when filing by phone. This is going to further destroy many small businesses and their owners more than this pandemic already has. To reduce us below eligibility for net profits after our deductions is beyond unfair and seems as though the rules are being changed to benefit CRA and the economy.

The purpose of the inquiry we request is to determine the extent of harms put upon injured, ill and/or disabled Canadians in provincial and territorial jurisdictions nationally. We raise these concerns to ensure as well our own full and fair redress in the form of workers compensation benefits as we are entitled to receive and rightly, legitimately deserve. We believe that only with a National investigation of provincial law, policy and regulations that govern provincial/territorial occupational health and safety can troubling issues be properly rectified. Those agencies and agents so empowered by law, policy and regulations have not responded to our direct engagement to address these issues with integrity. As these issues are of long-standing national concern, we assert that the concerns receive the attention that these matters require as it is in the National interests of all Canadians to do so.

The B.C. government must stop throwing good money after bad into the unneeded Site C dam. In July, BC Hydro belatedly admitted that serious geotechnical issues had materialized at Site C and that the fix was unclear. Before any more work continues, and any more of our billions are potentially wasted, the Premier must call for an independent expert review with full public transparency. BC taxpayers and Hydro ratepayers deserve to know what they are paying for. If the independent expert panel finds that this project can't be fixed or that attempted fixes will cost billions more, cancellation of the project must be on the table. These billions can be put to much better use helping families, businesses and all British Columbians to weather the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information on the Site C dam, see https://stopsitec.today/site-c-faq/

Forced sterilization of migrants. Separating refugee children from their families. Actively refusing to protect detainees from COVID. ICE is committing human rights atrocities. Full stop. The catastrophically evil record of ICE is not news. These atrocities are well documented - there is literally an ICE atrocities database. [1] Ongoing human rights atrocities were explicitly cited by Union Pacific, the latest corporation to cut ties with Trump's enforcement thugs. [2] And yet Vancouver-based Hootsuite, a certified B Company that is chartered explicitly "meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance", just signed a three-year contract with ICE. This is complicity with Trump's neofascist human rights abuses - for profit. People in Canada are mortified by the Trump regime. We may not be able to vote in their election, but we certainly will not sit idly by and allow a Canadian corporation to profit from atrocity. We are demanding that Hootsuite join the many corporations who have cut ties with ICE, and cancel the new contract immediately. Sources: [1] https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses [2] https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/union-pacific-railroad-police-cuts-ties-ice

Annita McPhee is a progressive Indigenous woman wanting to become the BC NDP candidate for Stikine riding. Annita announced her intention to seek the nomination once it was announced that Doug Donaldson would not seek re-election. However, the Party is trying to make exceptions to the policy to parachute in a Party-picked candidate. She needs your support to ensure the BC NDP doesn’t break its rules. She needs your help to support opportunities for progressive Indigenous women to run for the BC NDP.

City people need clean, healthy air to support good health. The country needs clean air to reduce the frequency of forrest fires, windstorms and torrential downpours which flood many parts of our land. The costs related to saving lives and repairing the damage affects everyone by increasing their insurance rates.

We need to challenge the power of the military-industrial complex Do you know that the largest lobby group for the fighter jets is a charity - the Global Affairs Institute? We need the $19 billion for housing, child care, the green new deal, and for education, long-term care, etc. Quote: "More for COVID-19 latest hurdle in Canada's long road to buying new fighter jets" Fighter jets are a major polluter, and they are mainly used for air shows.

2020 is not the year that Canadians need to hold a Federal Election! The Bloc Quebequois leader has vowed to trigger a federal election in the fall if the PM and Finance Minister fail to resign over the WE scandal. Is now really the best time to hold a federal election, diverting attention and resources from the critical fight against Covid-19. Disrupting current programs and policies which have proven mostly effective in controlling a global pandemic for partisan political posturing seems like the last thing Canadians need at this time of strife.

- No public notification, information, or consultation about the closure, duration or reopening - Impacts (reduced routes) to cyclists, pedestrians, and families during this time of social distancing / pandemic - Impacts to kids (increased distance / increased risk on high traffic routes) walking to local public schools including Norseman, Our Lady of Sorrows, Bishop Allen, and ECI - Impacts to traffic to local businesses on Bloor street